Knockout, p.37
Knockout,
p.37
Imogen’s invisible goat’s-lettuce ink is real, and it really did come from ancient Rome. I found it in Amy Suo Wu’s A Cookbook of Invisible Writing, an absolute delight of a resource that I snatched up a tiny Brooklyn bookstore years ago and have treasured since, knowing I’d eventually have a heroine with a carpetbag large enough to carry a jar of the stuff.
I am immensely grateful to Haia Shpayer-Makov for The Ascent of the Detective, which is an invaluable resource on the beginnings of the Metropolitan Police, founded in 1829 and nicknamed Scotland Yard for the location of its headquarters. The Detective Branch is real—formed in 1842 and staffed at first with eight men tasked with solving crimes, a new concept in policing which, until then, had worked to prevent crimes from occurring. Close readers will notice that I tweaked some of these dates to be able to fit this book into the larger, existing timeline of the Hell’s Belles series—a choice I hope you’ll forgive.
It will come as no surprise that corruption at the highest levels of the police began almost immediately after the founding of the force, disproportionately impacting communities in need. Police misconduct was as present in London in the nineteenth century as it is around the globe in the twenty-first, running counter to community empowerment, social justice, and public safety. Unchecked power corrupts and always has done, and we continue to see the scars of that truth in government and law enforcement today.
Historical romance gives us the gift of fantasy, however—of allowing us to show the past as we wish the future to be, and while Tommy would never return to the police, I leave the Scotland Yard of the MacLeaniverse to John Phillips, a decent man, committed to community empowerment rather than personal power.
A note on the Salisbury Steps and Waterman’s Stairs, because I know many readers enjoy visiting the locations in my books. Knockout takes place before Victoria Embankment was designated for public use, when the space was full of bustling riverside businesses. Steps marked small docks where water taxis would drop passengers. All but twelve of the staircases were demolished, many of them bombed during the Blitz, including the Salisbury Steps. Even if they did still exist, however, they would no longer lead to Dirty Lane, but into the stunning gardens along the river.
As always, I owe a tremendous debt to the Museum of London, the British Library, and the New York Public Library for endless rabbit holes of research.
The Hell’s Belles wouldn’t exist without my incredible friends, for whom I would happily explode things. Louisa Edwards is the absolute best friend/reader/brainstormer a girl could ask for; she, Kate Clayborn, Sophie Jordan, Adriana Herrera, Meghan Tierney, and Erin Leafe have all had a hand in this book coming to life. I hope Imogen and I have done them proud. Special thanks to Kennedy Ryan, who dragged me over the finish line . . . again.
I am so lucky to have been with Avon Books since the start. Carrie Feron, Asanté Simons, Brittani DiMare, DJ DeSmyter, Eleanor Mikucki, Jes Lyons, Jeanne Reina, Liate Stehlik, Robert Alunni, Claudia Antunes, Gabe Barillas, Audrey Bresar, Sylvie Calder, Sandy Cooper, Anne DeCourcey, Ian Doherty, Kim Gombar, Leslie Greenfield, Sarah Gregory, Michael Guy-Haddock, Jim Hankey, Bethany Johnsrud, Onyew Kim, Dawn Littman, Katie McGarry, Barbara Meyers, Jessica Montany, Michael Morris, Deb Murphy, Carla Parker, Cathy Schornstein, Kaitlin Sim, Colleen Simpson, Andrea Smith, Robin Smith, Mathew Spadafora, Virginia Stanley, Rosalyn Steele, and Eric Svenson, who work tirelessly to bring them into the world. Rounding out this excellent gang are Holly Root, Kristin Dwyer, Alice Lawson, and Linda Watson—I hope you know how grateful I am to each of you.
And finally, so much love to Chiara, Mark, and Mom for cheerleading; V for all the encouraging “you got this!” notes; Kahlo for all the supportive napping; and Eric, who, despite making fun of my explosion sounds, still makes my heart go ratatat-whoosh.
And finally, you! None of the books are real until you read them . . . thank you for bringing Tommy and Imogen to life, and for being so excited to see #TommyGoBoom. Duchess is next, and I really can’t wait for you see what she’s got cooking.
About the Author
A lifelong romance reader, SARAH MACLEAN wrote her first romance novel on a dare, and never looked back. She is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of romances translated into more than twenty languages and the co-host of the weekly romance novel podcast Fated Mates. A graduate of Smith College and Harvard University, Sarah lives in New York City.
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By Sarah MacLean
Hell’s Belles
Bombshell
Heartbreaker
Knockout
The Bareknuckle Bastards
Wicked and the Wallflower
Brazen and the Beast
Daring and the Duke
Scandal & Scoundrel
The Rogue Not Taken
A Scot in the Dark
The Day of the Duchess
The Rules of Scoundrels
A Rogue by Any Other Name
One Good Earl Deserves a Lover
No Good Duke Goes Unpunished
Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover
Love by Numbers
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake
Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord
Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart
The Season
How The Dukes Stole Christmas
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
knockout. Copyright © 2023 by Sarah Trabucchi. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers. For information, address HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.
Digital Edition AUGUST 2023 ISBN: 978-0-06-305591-9
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-305679-4
Cover design by Amy Halperin
Cover art by Alan Ayers
Cover images © vandervelden/iStock/Getty Images (chaise)
Avon, Avon & logo, and Avon Books & logo are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers in the United States of America and other countries.
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Sarah MacLean, Knockout
